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CONTEST RUNS THROUGH JUNE 21! SEE CONTEST OVERVIEW AND RULES FOR DEF CON 34 --> https://forum.defcon.org/node/255739
FULL RULES AND SCENARIO ALSO AVAILABLE AT --> https://phishstories.org
For our newest installment of Phish Stories we’re going to the movies! This time, in the great city of Chicago, Illinois. Enjoy!
The Grand Parkway 34 Multiplex opened in Chicago in the fall of 2023 with oversized ambition and a name to match. Built on the site of the old Parkway Theater, it became the largest movie theater in the Midwest, boasting 34 screens, wall-to-wall recliners, powerful sound, and blockbuster dreams.
Carved out in one wing of the theater sits eight screens devoted to a curated screening room experience run by longtime staff member and noir film fan Hank Marlowe. Carrying on the tradition he had started at the old Parkway, Hank’s double-feature nights were crafted with love. And for a while, the combination of old and new worked. Crowds showed up. Blockbusters packed the main screens while Hank’s nostalgic corner drew a respectable following.
But once the newness faded, the Grand Parkway fell victim to the same declining crowds affecting theaters across the industry. The multiplex’s parent company, BroadSwitch Studios, took notice and decided it was time to chase a new audience. Their focus fell on Hank’s screening room, which, while beloved, was not pulling in enough revenue.
Their replacement? A cloud-streamed, real-time entertainment zone known as the Digitally Enhanced Fan Connection, or DEF CON for short. The new setup will feature live sports, reality television, esports tournaments, and a rotating lineup of video podcasts. It is marketed as the next phase of moviegoing, a place where groups can react to the moment together.
The idea came from Timmy Goodson, a smooth-talking entrepreneurial minded promoter who believes the only thing holding the theater back is outdated thinking. Timmy has been installed at the Grand Parkway to oversee the rollout and make sure the launch hits on schedule.
The person trying to keep the technology from melting down is Alexis Romero. She started at the theater early on and somehow became its unofficial IT department. Now she is juggling cloud credentials, vendor instructions, and a dozen systems she was never formally trained on. Alexis is also working toward a security degree at a local community college, so she has a pretty good idea of just how wrong things can go.
The general manager, Malcolm Shaw, is doing everything he can to maintain order. He lived through the demolition of the original Parkway Theater and has no intention of letting this new version fail.
And then there is Hank, still recommending 1940s crime films to confused teens at the concession counter. He is having a hard time believing that podcast panels and influencer watch parties are replacing the classic double feature.
The DEF CON launch is only days away. The staff is tired. The systems are untested. The stakes feel high.
This year’s Phish Stories challenge invites you to explore the real-world risks that appear when a company races forward with new technology faster than its people can keep up.
We’ll grab the popcorn. You write the phish. Make someone click, make us laugh, and win your way into DEF CON this year.
FULL RULES AND SCENARIO ALSO AVAILABLE AT --> https://phishstories.org
For our newest installment of Phish Stories we’re going to the movies! This time, in the great city of Chicago, Illinois. Enjoy!
The Grand Parkway 34 Multiplex opened in Chicago in the fall of 2023 with oversized ambition and a name to match. Built on the site of the old Parkway Theater, it became the largest movie theater in the Midwest, boasting 34 screens, wall-to-wall recliners, powerful sound, and blockbuster dreams.
Carved out in one wing of the theater sits eight screens devoted to a curated screening room experience run by longtime staff member and noir film fan Hank Marlowe. Carrying on the tradition he had started at the old Parkway, Hank’s double-feature nights were crafted with love. And for a while, the combination of old and new worked. Crowds showed up. Blockbusters packed the main screens while Hank’s nostalgic corner drew a respectable following.
But once the newness faded, the Grand Parkway fell victim to the same declining crowds affecting theaters across the industry. The multiplex’s parent company, BroadSwitch Studios, took notice and decided it was time to chase a new audience. Their focus fell on Hank’s screening room, which, while beloved, was not pulling in enough revenue.
Their replacement? A cloud-streamed, real-time entertainment zone known as the Digitally Enhanced Fan Connection, or DEF CON for short. The new setup will feature live sports, reality television, esports tournaments, and a rotating lineup of video podcasts. It is marketed as the next phase of moviegoing, a place where groups can react to the moment together.
The idea came from Timmy Goodson, a smooth-talking entrepreneurial minded promoter who believes the only thing holding the theater back is outdated thinking. Timmy has been installed at the Grand Parkway to oversee the rollout and make sure the launch hits on schedule.
The person trying to keep the technology from melting down is Alexis Romero. She started at the theater early on and somehow became its unofficial IT department. Now she is juggling cloud credentials, vendor instructions, and a dozen systems she was never formally trained on. Alexis is also working toward a security degree at a local community college, so she has a pretty good idea of just how wrong things can go.
The general manager, Malcolm Shaw, is doing everything he can to maintain order. He lived through the demolition of the original Parkway Theater and has no intention of letting this new version fail.
And then there is Hank, still recommending 1940s crime films to confused teens at the concession counter. He is having a hard time believing that podcast panels and influencer watch parties are replacing the classic double feature.
The DEF CON launch is only days away. The staff is tired. The systems are untested. The stakes feel high.
This year’s Phish Stories challenge invites you to explore the real-world risks that appear when a company races forward with new technology faster than its people can keep up.
We’ll grab the popcorn. You write the phish. Make someone click, make us laugh, and win your way into DEF CON this year.
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